Practical Use Cases for AI in Law Enforcement

Last month, I had the honor of representing TRULEO at the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar (LEEDS) hosted at the FBI’s Atlanta Field Office. Speaking to a room of command staff from across the Southeast, leaders who carry the immense responsibility of guiding their departments through unprecedented change, was both humbling and energizing.

FBI LEEDS is one of the nation’s most respected platforms for shaping the future of public safety leadership. To stand in front of that audience and discuss the practical use cases of artificial intelligence in law enforcement was not only a privilege but also a milestone for our mission at TRULEO: helping agencies harness technology responsibly, securely, and effectively.

Why AI Matters to Law Enforcement Leadership

AI is one of the most strategic technologies of the century. For law enforcement, it is not an abstract concept, but rather, it is a tool already being used daily to transcribe reports, analyze body-worn camera footage, and make sense of overwhelming digital evidence. The question is no longer if agencies will use AI, but how they will use it.

In Atlanta, I began by demystifying what AI really is. Generative AI, powered by large language models (LLMs), doesn’t just analyze; it creates. For policing, that means drafting reports, building timelines, or even role-playing cross-examinations to prepare officers for court. Yet with this power comes serious questions: Where is data stored? Who owns it? Is it safeguarded under U.S. control?

The takeaway for law enforcement leaders is clear: AI must remain Made in the USA and FBI CJIS-compliant to ensure officer safety, data security, and national sovereignty.

From Passive to Agentic AI

Most leaders are familiar with “passive AI”, tools that simply generate summaries or classify videos. But law enforcement is now entering the era of Agentic AI. This means AI is not just producing outputs but performing multi-step actions on behalf of officers.

Imagine asking in plain English:

“Show me every reference to Joe Smith across RMS, CAD, and jail calls.”

Instead of logging into multiple systems, Agentic AI searches across them all and delivers an answer in seconds. This is AI as the new user interface, removing silos, simplifying workflows, and giving smaller departments big-city capabilities.

It is crucial that Agentic AI never be placed on “autopilot”. Officers must always remain in full control. AI acts as a co-pilot, reducing administrative burdens while amplifying human judgment.

Real-World Use Cases: From BWCs to Cold Cases

During the session, I shared examples of how AI is already transforming law enforcement operations:

Body-Worn Camera Review: AI can transcribe, classify, and summarize hours of footage, producing training reels and professionalism insights. Independent research has shown that it can improve officer behavior by encouraging clearer communication and courtesy during encounters.

Case Summarization: Detectives facing terabytes of evidence can rely on AI to condense interviews, reports, and call logs into actionable timelines. In one cold case, AI reignited a decade-old investigation by surfacing overlooked leads, proving its power to revive dormant files.

Report Writing: While direct BWC-to-report conversion has limits, conversational AI report drafting has shown 30–40% efficiency gains by reducing fatigue and helping officers capture more accurate narratives to build professional and structured reports consistently.

Courtroom Preparation: AI can role-play as a defense attorney, challenging an officer’s testimony to build confidence before trial. Prosecutors benefit too, using AI-generated briefs to spot contradictions before defense counsel does.

Virtual Dispatch and Analyst Tools: For small and mid-sized agencies, AI is becoming “Quantico on your laptop”, providing data analysis, resource allocation, policy review, and crime trend detection that would otherwise require specialized staff.

Adoption: Why the South Moves Faster

An interesting trend I shared with the FBI LEEDS audience: southern agencies often adopt AI faster than their northern counterparts. Factors include at-will employment structures, more flexible governance, and a culture of experimentation. Smaller departments, in particular, can move quickly without navigating the bureaucracy that often slows larger city agencies.

This agility means innovation in law enforcement is often driven by the agencies that have the fewest resources but the greatest need.

The Future: Ethical, Secure, Human-Centered

AI will never replace officers, it will remove paperwork burdens, streamline processes, and help departments solve more cases. But technology must always be implemented with strong policies, clear oversight, and human review at the core.

For me personally, standing at the FBI Atlanta Field Office to discuss these themes was a reminder of why I started TRULEO. Coming from a proud military and law enforcement family, I believe our mission is not just about building cutting-edge software. It’s about honoring those who serve by giving them tools that keep them safe, effective, and trusted in their communities.

The leaders at FBI LEEDS are shaping the next generation of policing. To contribute to that conversation, and to see their genuine interest in the practical, responsible applications of AI, was one of the great honors of my career.